Segway dealerships opening in Chicago

Chicago — Two Segway scooter dealerships will roll into the Chicago area next week, marking a new turn for shoe leather’s Rolls Royce alternative.

For the past two years, people who wanted to ride the device that looks something like a manual lawnmower and costs $4,000 had to order it online or by phone. Now Segway LLC has decided to mimic the auto industry and establish dealerships so customers can kick the tires.

One will open Aug. 21 in downtown Chicago, and another will open in La Grange, Ill. They will feature lessons in how to ride the scooter.

The scooters, which are meant to operate on sidewalks, can go anywhere a pedestrian can go, said Jim Reynolds, who is opening the La Grange store. They can reach speeds up to 12 miles an hour and are used by Atlanta police.

A Segway dealership opened last month on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo.

Technology

Gateway confirms layoffs in Kansas City

Kansas City, Mo.– Gateway Inc. will outsource several technical and manufacturing units by Sept. 30, laying off hundreds of workers in Kansas City, Mo., and in North Sioux City, S.D., the company confirmed Sunday.

The job cuts at the personal computer and consumer electronics company are part of a stream of layoffs announced earlier this year. The company would not specify how many positions were being eliminated in the latest wave of cuts, though Gateway spokesman Bob Sherbin said it was above 100.

“It is part of our ongoing effort to get the company back to sustain profitability,” Sherbin said by phone Sunday from Poway, Calif.